The Game Of Dreams
by lilguji
Summary: Pooja is an ordinary girl who gets sucked into a crazy board game...Join her on her adventures as she travels from world to world, looking for a way home...
1. Prologue

**THE GAME OF DREAMS**

**                      BY: LILGUJI**

**_What if you could be the main character of your favorite show, movie, or book? How would it turn out? If you had the chance to live through your dreams, would you? Well, a young American girl gets that chance, and takes it. Now, as she travels through different times, places and stories, we can only wonder, how will the story of HER life will end…_**__

**Prologue**

**_The girl walked in to the classroom, and nervously looked around. It was her first day of school. After moving to America she was forced to start school in the middle of winter. The teacher noticed the girl as she scanned her new peers, with a piercing gaze. Most shifted uncomfortably as she analyzed every aspect. _**

****

"You must be the new student." _The teacher stated unnecessarily. The girl turned to the teacher and gave the teacher a bunch of papers._ "Welcome to Language Arts. Class this is Pooja Patel, she is a transfer student from India." 

_    Pooja smiled at the teacher and sat in the seat she was pointed towards. Next to her, there was an Asian girl, who offered to show Pooja around. Her name was Usa Yamaguchi, and she had Japanese origins. The two girls got to know each other well and pretty soon, it was hard to tell that Pooja was a transfer student. She made many new friends, some rivals, and enemies._

_    Pooja would have still been in India, if it weren't for her mother. Her mother had problems with her back, and came to America, after being told she needed surgery. After the surgery, Mrs. Patel started improving, though it would a while before she would recover completely._

_    Unlike most people in her class, Pooja was still 15. Born in November, she started school early. Most of her classmates were 16 already. She had dark skin, and VERY long, dark brown hair. With deep and dark, brown eyes, and a diamond nose ring, Pooja was quite intimidating at times._

_    She and Usa were best of friends, and at the top of their class. Both were considered smart and wacky. They were constantly laughing at absolutely nothing. Great friends, almost sisters, who would remain so till death did them part. But before death had a chance to separate them, something else did…_

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    "Where you going Puji??? Your place is _this_ way." _Usa asked_. "Relax Usi, my mom said I could go to the new arcade. They built it over the old post office. You wanna come???" _Pooja replied with glee._

    "OH NO!!! Not an arcade!!! I'll never get you out of there." _Groaned Usa._ "HHAHAHAHAHHAAAH, too bad. I'm going, and never coming back. MMUUUUUAAHAHAHhhhhahahHAHAHhah" _Pooja laughed maniacally._ "So. You wanna come???" 

    "Fine. If I don't go, then who's gonna drag you home???? Let's go." _Usa replied cheerfully. _

    _So the two girls made their way, laughing and joking, towards the arcade, unsuspecting of what would come…_

_    The moment they entered, Pooja ran towards the nearest game and started playing. Winning tickets, they enjoyed their stay at the mysterious store. When it was almost time to go, they gathered their HUGE pile of tickets and headed towards the counter._

"Hi Mister, what can we get with these many tickets_???" Pooja asked, heaving the tickets onto the counter. The man stared in shock at the pile and then at the two smiling girls. _"You can get anything here you want." _He said shaking his head, still not believing that two girls could get that many tickets. _

    _The girls squealed and looked around. They looked up and saw different things they could get. While searching the prizes, Pooja looked around. Behind the counter she saw a __very small board game. Seeing the decorative box, she instantly knew that it was what she wanted. _

"I want that board game right there. Aight Usi???" _she said turning to Usa with a pleading look. Usa shrugged and said whatever. The man behind the counter broke out of his stupor and turned to retrieve the game. His eyes went wide when he saw which game she wanted._

    "Sorry miss. That game is not for tickets. Please pick something else." _He said, looking as if he were fighting to not give it to her. Pooja looked broken hearted and replied_, "But I wanted that one." _She was about to give in, when he lost his internal fight._ "It's ok Miss," _he said quickly handing the game to her_, "I remember now that you can have the game."

    _Pooja smiled happily and took the game, not knowing the consequences of her child-like behavior. The girls made their way home. But when Pooja checked her watch, she stopped in her tracks. Glaring at Usa, she spat out as sweetly as she could, "_Usa, What time is it???" _Usa froze when she saw Poojas' expression. _"Um, I don't know. What time is it????"

    "It's an hour before I gotta go home. You made me leave, what, TWO HOURS early???? Well," _Pooja said, smiling slyly,_ "now that we got the time, why don't we play something." _Pooja dragged a protesting Usa into the nearby park and opened up the game. _

    _Before starting the game they connected their best friend rings. They had gotten them from a creepy lady in a gloomy old pawnshop. Then they put the pieces down and started playing. _

_    When Pooja read the instructions, her face fell. "_It says that only one person can play this at a time, and only one other person can watch. Weird instructions if you ask me. So you wanna go first or should I???" 

"No Thanks. That's your game and your gonna play it, not me." _Usa said quickly. Smiling, Pooja picked up the card, not noticing that besides that card, there were no other pieces, except a small mirror. Pooja read the card aloud in a loud voice…_

"DREAMS ARE CREATED BY WHAT YOU SEE,

AND WHAT YOU DREAM IS YOUR FATE. 

FIND THE SWORD, THE SHEILD, THE PENDANT, THE RING, AND THE CROWN.

 THEN CONTINUE TO THE NEXT WORLD AND YOUR NEXT DREAM. 

FAIL, AND YOU SHALL BE TRAPPED IN YOUR DREAMS FOREVER…."

    "Weird, so I gotta find the sword, shield, ring, crown, and pendant, right? Wonder what's the mirror for." _Pooja says reaching the mirror. _

_Neither she nor Usa hear the rushing sound coming from the mirror. Pooja picks up the mirror and runs a finger along the surface. As she does the wind picks up. Suddenly Pooja feels a tug and is drawn into the mirror, eyes wide with shock. Usa watches, not believing what was happening. _

_    Slowly the young girl gets sucked into the mirror. As the last of her enters the mirror, the mirror drops into Usa's lap. She sits in shock, finally realizing that her best friend was gone… _

_Disclaimer: I would just like to say, that everyone in the prologue are mine!! The people in the next chapters however, are NOT mine. I don't own them and never will. They belong to whoever created them. My disclaimer should now be at the top of each chapter._

_Author's Note: Hey guys, for those of you who recognize my pen name, yes it is I!! This is my first story, and not many people have read my stories before. If you have any comments, please review. If I don't answer back, don't worry, I tend to be lazy when answering mail, and I'll try to get to you as soon as possible. And also, this story will have several parts, each a different world, so you might have to look around for them. _

_Thanks_

_~lilguji_


	2. In the Emperor's Lap

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, not Fushigi Yuugi any ways. Everything else is mine. ; ) 

The Game of Dreams

World 1-Fushigi Yuugi

Chapter 1

          The emperor sat in his throne, proud and beautiful, as he and his advisors talked. Their beautiful and prosperous country, Kunon, has a big problem. The neighboring country, Kontou, has had a never-ending drought. The people were starving, and now the once friendly country was attacking Kunons borders for food. They were on the edge of war and the young emperor did not want bloodshed. So the problem was, how to protect his people without fighting. 

          His advisors were discussing possible options, though none of them looked likely to work. 'Only a miracle can save us now' thought the emperor. And as he thought this, he heard something. Listening closely, he heard screaming.

          "Quiet!! Listen! " 

          The screaming seemed to get louder and soon everyone could hear it. The emperor looked up as he saw a bright blue light shine from the ceiling over him. He stood quickly, positive the screaming was coming from the light, which could only be described as a portal. The screaming reached its peak as something very solid fell out of it and landed in the emperors' arms. Surprised by the weight, the emperor fell back into his throne, and the object settled itself in his lap.

          'Oh my God!! Oh my God!! I'm going to die!! OMG!! OMG!!'

Last wishes and thoughts flitted through Pooja's mind, when her world suddenly righted itself. She felt herself land in somebody's strong arms and stopped screaming. Breathing hard, she opened her eyes and looked around. 

          Her eyes went wide as she took in the lavishly decorated room. The walls were covered with silks and paintings. And on the wall behind her, she saw a crest with a golden bird on it. 'Looks like a phoenix' she thought. Then she turned her eyes on the one who she had most conveniently landed on. 

          Chocolate brown eyes met sea green. Pooja gasped as she came face to face with the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Long green hair, which had been knocked loose from a bun atop his head, and smooth, pale skin, which almost glowed. ('Wonder what he uses for his skin??') He had a perfect nose and full lips. He was the most, well; the only way to describe him was beautiful man she had ever seen.

          He had that natural grace that few ever have. Yet, he had that masculine confidence and a royal authority, that's almost impossible to show without seeming arrogant. But to her, the most appealing thing about him were his eyes. They seemed to seep into you, into your very soul. They were deep and full of a knowledge that only comes to those who have to grow up too fast. And though he looked wise beyond his years, his eyes also contained a barest hint of desperation. As if he'd been trapped his whole life, and longed for freedom. His eyes told a story that no one ever bothered to read, until now…

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          Many things came to mind when the emperor first laid his eyes upon the young women in his lap. One of the first ones was innocence. A look that she had never done anything wrong in her life, and had never seen any of the horrors of the world. And though she looked innocent, she didn't look ignorant of the horrors of the world. The emperor also thought she looked responsible. Someone trustworthy, and would go to all limits to keep her word. He got the feeling that in any tough situation, she could handle herself, and that she was already planning on what to do next.

          And under his close scrutiny, her natural beauty did not go unnoticed. 'She's almost as beautiful as me.' As their eyes met, he saw that he had guessed right about her morals. There was a hard look in her eyes; like she would do anything necessary to make sure she would keep her word. There was innocence, yes, but also a fierce and violent will to protect all that she loved.

          It was then that he noticed the quiet of the room. Everyone was waiting for something to happen. Who would make the first move? She broke the silence first, and her words cut through the tension like a knife. She said but two words, but those two words made her more of a mystery than ever.

          "Holy Shit."


End file.
